Codefreq's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Power Spells]

UPDATE:

I see. Thank you for clarifying. In a way, even with the name change, I think it still makes sense. spells could be considered power-ups depending on the context.

Glad I could help. :)

Original 4 1/2 star review:

"My initial reaction is this: I can see the shoot'em-up this music would match to. Something in line with Ikaruga or the like. I think it definitely captures the vibe of cyber-themed action quite well.

After checking out the Kickstarter link, I also think it fits the video game in question nicely.

The only thing I'm not clear about is the name. Why this track called "Power Spells"?

Oh, and one other thing: the ending is strikingly sudden. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt because I don't know if this piece was intentionally written that way due to the requirements of the project or whatever.

Anyway, I think this is well expressed. I hope you find my review helpful. :)

More info about how I review music here: https://codefreq.newgrounds.com/news/post/1089806"

Shifterhead responds:

Thanks for the review! The name was actually gonna be "Power Pills" like taking a power up or something but then that movie Power came out about pills that give you power and I didnt want that to have relation or something. So I just changed the last word without thinking too much about it jaja. Thanks for checking out the game, there's still a long way to go. Oh and yeah the ending was abrupt cause of a need of looping to another part of the song.

[A Stroll Down St Pancras]

You really captured the sense of hustle-and-bustle of being in a transport station. I've never been to St. Pancras International but the closest thing I can think of that I've had experience with is O'Hare airport in Chicago. To me there's almost a sense of urgency; I can see people hurrying and trying to make their plane/bus/train with their suitcases while moving through a crowd of people.

The vast production, in my opinion, also shows a feeling of determination. The imagery I get is something like: You're at the bottom of a large cliff, there's nowhere to go but up, and come Hell or high water you're going to climb it.

I'm not quite sure if that's what you were going for, but that's how I see it.

Reading your description it seems like one thing you were going for, though, was a sense of optimism and freedom. I can definitely see that.

The only thing that keeps this from getting 5 stars from me is this: To me, something about the flow of the piece seems to get in the way of what you're trying to do. I think this is especially the case when the quiet part hits towards the middle. I'm wondering if it would be more effective if there was a continuous buildup of instrumentation to reflect ever-growing positive energy, and at the end is where the quiet part would come in. Just something you may want to play around with.

Overall, I'd say you did a phenomenal job. :)

More info about how I review music here: https://codefreq.newgrounds.com/news/post/1089806

Troisnyx responds:

Thanks for the thought you put into your review, much appreciated.

I hadn't had the strength to mention this, but if you haven't been to St Pancras, it truly is something else. If you have time, you can get lost in its beauty, stop at the eateries or the high-end shops, or walk around and soak in the architecture, which is a happy marriage of the old and the new.

If you're pressed for time, you will find yourself tempted to pause, listen to the buskers, or catch glimpses of a beautiful place. You hesitate. You think, "I hope I have enough time to see these beautiful people and things..."

St Pancras is an international symbol, being the gateway to continental Europe. Certainly in 2015 and not so much now, I could look at it and say, "Ahead of us is more of the European Union to explore." Imagine what a sense of liberation, joy, *pride* there is in that.

That pride may be gone from the UK but I still remember it, and hopefully have captured every moment of it.

[Loto]

UPDATE:

Thank you for clarifying. What an interesting backstory. :)

Listening to this again after reading your description, I see the imagery quite clearly; a video camera following a flower drifting down a stream in a forest during a moderate rainstorm.

As far as the vibe goes, you pretty much nailed it.

By the way, when I mentioned it reminded me of playing Minecraft as a kid, I was referring to the way the piano part was composed and mixed. It had nothing to do with the square wave.

Original 3 1/2 Star Review:

"This piece reminds me of the days I played Minecraft as a kid; The piece feels quite calm.

I'm curious about what your thought process was when you made this piece. It would help me give a more accurate rating and better feedback because I'd be able to judge based on how clearly I thought your intent was rather than how much I liked it.

Here's some info you could provide: Why did you pick the title? Why did you pick the thumbnail art you did for this piece?

I hope this helps. :)

More info about how I review music here: https://codefreq.newgrounds.com/news/post/1089806"

SamTheHare responds:

Updated reply:
I have no more words more than thank you.

Orignial reply:
Here's some information about it.

I usually make music when I'm feeling bad or sad, as a way to cope with all my problems (That's doesn't mean I don't make music just for fun, tracks like Bored or Goblins dance are made just for fun without thinking so much about what I do and Why).

Loto was made as a concept of a Loto (Lotus, Nelumbo nucifera. Loto is the Spanish name for it) going down a stream while there's a thunderstorm. When the storm ends it ends in the sea and dies. I felt like that flower when thinking about what to do. I felt down and hopeless but I didn't want to make a beat that made me go ever worse so I thought about giving it a sad but relaxing vibe.

I choose to use the izotope vinyl plugin to make it sound like an old recording, as a way to say "That's a bad moment but it's in the past so it doesn't matter." and I actually love the sound of old recordings so that was an essential choice.
I started making the song with an 85 bpm generic lo-fi beat. I used lots of reverb and LP filter especially in the Kick and the Snare because it sounds like something far and nostalgic. Like the memory of a bad dream. Also, I gave the kick some panning to make it sound more immersive

The piano is not so much of a deal. I used the FL keys with reverb and LP filter as the drums with the plus of a gross beat to give it a kind of fading in and out effect when the beat starts.

The chords are just a square wave with a little attack and an LP filter, guess that makes it sound like something from a game like Minecraft or Terraria.

The bass part works pretty the same as the others, there I used an electric bass sample and simple sine wave sub-bass.

So I ended with nearly the final result but I felt like something was missing, there wasn't rain so I just low pitched a sample and gave it some LP filters and reverb.

If you want the .flp/separated tracks to analyze it better just pm me and I can give it to you (^^)

About the thumbnail to be honest with you I didn't put so much effort into it, I was pretty tired atm so I just used a black/purple background and some white text to make it look good.

Thanks for taking the time to write your review!

PD: Sorry if I'm not so clear with my explanation/grammar, I'm pretty bad with that :"D

[Sicky Beaky]

UPDATE:

Thank you for clarifying.

No worries, everyone has a different approach. I only asked because I find that the more deliberate the decisions people make in the music they write, usually the more focused, and often better, their music is.

Again, I liked your piece. I just hoped what I said would be helpful.

Original 3 1/2 Star Review:

"I think it would be helpful if you put in your description what your thought process was when you made this piece. That way I can judge your music based on how well your intent came through rather than by my own taste. I could also provide provide more useful feedback and a more accurate rating if you provide this information.

I do like this piece, though. I'm curious why you chose the name, "Sicky Beaky"? Also, why did you choose the thumbnail artwork you did for this piece?

More info about how I review music here: https://codefreq.newgrounds.com/news/post/1089806"

Felocai responds:

I like it when people get the opportunity to interpret my songs by their own rules, so i rarely say anything about the titles and the meanings behind them. I guess i just sort of had birds on my mind and the cover is a photo of a pidgeon that has a nest just outside my window, composed with my music-making enviroment, because i was making music with birds on my mind.
Also i don't always make music with a specific thought in mind, especially with one off songs like this. It's just a passing thought of a song.
I hope that explains it a little, thanks for being interested!

[Riot Ribs]

I get a sense of urgency from this piece, due in large part to its speed.

I think it would be beneficial if you put in your description what your thought process was when you made this piece. That way, I can judge based on how well your intent came across rather than how much I liked it, potentially leading to better feedback and a more accurate rating.

That said, I like this piece. I find it very calming.

I'm curious why you chose the title, "Riot Ribs", and also why you chose the thumbnail artwork you did for this specific piece.

More info about how I review music here: https://codefreq.newgrounds.com/news/post/1089806

zybor responds:

Why do I need a description when a track can tell it all? I'm not a talker, I'm more of a doer so my music express my words for me. If ya gonna rate me bad because I don't bother giving long ass description like other pricks, so be it, but I ain't gonna bend to the fact that I need some talkative shit to explain my work. Because frankly, it doesn't matter anyway.

The decision of good or bad is up to the audience to decide, not my choice, so extra words won't do shit.

Have a good day. :)

Edit. Riot Ribs refers to this awesome group https://twitter.com/riotribs

I give shoutouts to ppl I care all the time using my work. It's just a praxis way of educating others on things they may find interest in.

[Melancholy Hill- The Outcast]

I can hear a bitter anger in this piece, but it's presented in a way where it sounds cool, almost like you take pride in having been an outcast and surviving through it. There's also a sense of determination. In addition, the repetition fits with this determination and the theme you represent, where the same thing happens again and again.

Technically speaking, I think the piece is mixed too quietly. I recommend using normalization to increase the volume so as not to inconvenience the listener (They'd have to change the volume just for this song and back again when they listen to other things).

I do think there's some ambiguity there, though. Something about the way this piece is produced seems at odds with itself. It seems a bit unfocused, and I can't quite put my finger on an exact reason as to why. I think part of it is some of the sounds like the beeps in the beginning and the piano don't fit as well with the rest of the piece. I realize what the piano in particular means to you. I won't take that away. I just think the way it is executed clashes with the angry guitar and your message gets lost a bit, IMO; It doesn't come across the same way you meant it to.

Still, overall, I think you did a pretty good job. :)

More info about how I review music here: https://codefreq.newgrounds.com/news/post/1089806

[Breath- Conceptual Themed Avant-Pop]

You've clearly put a lot of thought into making this piece. I commemorate the effort. :)

I can see this being played at the beginning of a movie.

I think the title fits the song very well. I'd like to hear why you chose the thumbnail artwork you did for this specific piece, though.

A lot of elements, including the lyrics, work together really well. The breathy air sounds are a nice touch. I hear this piece and to me both the audio and lyrics seem logical and analytical, like every layer and element is deliberate, which helps the piece feel focused. That said, I don't hear swagger and emotional impact as much as I hear naive curiosity. That's great if it's what you're going for, but it's a little unclear if you intended to have arrogant swagger and emotional impact with this particular piece.

Still, I think you did a great job here overall.

I recommend putting the lyrics in the description.

Side note: I actually feel like I am cooling off when I hear the breathy sounds, like I'm breathing cold air. That's a really cool sensation, I don't often get affected that way from music.

More info about how I review music here: https://codefreq.newgrounds.com/news/post/1089806

ConnorHeather responds:

Thank you, I very appreciate the time you take to write such in depth and insightful reviews. The image I used is the image i received along with the brief... I imagine its representing the digital reality A.N1 originates from. Again you do such a great job on your reviews and its a pleasure to get feedback from someone with your methodology of reviewing it very refreshing thank you again!

[Oasis]

I'm curious, why did you name this piece Oasis?

When I think of an oasis, I think of a rest stop, either by the interstate or in the desert. Though your thumbnail works with the title, there's nothing about this piece that, IMO, makes me think of an oasis.

I'd also like to hear what your thought process was, as it will help me provide better feedback and a more accurate rating. I'd be able to judge based on how well your intent came through rather than simply how much I liked your piece.

Mixing-wise, I think you should use some compression/limiting plugins, or at least some normalization, because IMO the piece is a little too quiet.

More info about how I review music here: https://codefreq.newgrounds.com/news/post/1089806

[Origins]

This makes me think of experiencing loss; it's a sad song, even though you're not saying anything with words. It's like a flashback scene in a movie where a father says to his child he has to go to work and he'll see them when he gets home that night, and he never does.

In that sense, the title fits, because it very well could fit an origin story of a character.

That said, this imagery is my interpretation. I'd like to hear from you what you were trying to do in the creation of this song. Knowing that could affect my rating and improve my feedback because I'd judge it more by how clearly your intent came through and less by my own preference and taste.

I do like this, though. It's very emotional.

More info about how I review music here: https://codefreq.newgrounds.com/news/post/1089806